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Chicken and Chorizo Risotto

Hello, I am Peter and this is my first recipe for Metal Chef. A very tasty chicken and chorizo risotto.

Now I have heard that a lot of people don’t like making risotto as it is perceived as being a bit tricky. Well, it really isn’t. A little time-consuming and takes constant attention, but definitely not difficult.

OK, down to business! This recipe serves two people. It scales quite well to 4 by simply doubling the amounts.

*It may be worth having a little extra stock, as depending on the rice and other factors it can take a little more than a litre. This has only happened to me once though! Any chicken stock is fine, be it fresh or made up from cubes/concentrate.

Equipment
Thick-bottomed medium saucepan, for the risotto
Frying pan, for the chicken and chorizo
Sauce pan, for the chicken stock

Right, so you have your ingredients and your pots and pans!

The first thing you want to do is slice your chicken breasts into bite-sized chunks. Now cook them for 5-10 minutes in the frying pan. You want a little bit of colour on them, so don’t be afraid to keep them in the pan as long as needed. Once done, place the chicken into a bowl off to one side. Don’t put your frying pan in the sink just yet!

Take your chorizo and slice it thinly. Add a spot of oil to the frying pan and fry the slices. Chorizo can burn very quickly. They only need 20-30 seconds each side, though I recommend keeping them moving for the duration. When they are done, remove them from the pan and put to one side. Pour the frying oil into a bowl.

Finely chop your onion.

Put your thick-bottomed sauce pan on a medium heat and put in the butter. Also add a spot of olive oil. When the butter has melted, add your onions. You want them to soften and go translucent. You don’t want them to go crispy or burn, so watch the heat. While the onions are cooking, get your stock in the other sauce pan and bring to a simmer.

When your onions are nice and soft, put the rice in with them. Mix the rice in well with the onions, butter and oil and cook in the pan for about 60 seconds, stirring often.

Add in the wine!

At this point most recipes would say something along the lines of “simmer until the alcohol evaporates”, but I am not going to. It is an utter myth that the alcohol evaporates. So instead just simmer for a minute or so.

Now the point of no return. From here on in you must ignore all distractions. You cannot leave the risotto unattended at this point. Add one or two ladles of the stock to the risotto and get stirring. Keep stirring.

Are you still stirring?

When the rice has absorbed the liquid (the mixture will get thicker and feel stiff) add another ladle of stock. Keep doing this. Add stock, stir, absorb, add stock.

The reason for constant stirring is to get the rice to release its starch. This is what makes the risotto thick and creamy.

After the 20 minute mark the rice should be almost done. It will be soft on the outside and a little firm still on the inside. You may reach this stage sooner or later, so no need to be exact with the timing.

Add in the parmesan and stir through, remembering to add more stock if all the liquid has been absorbed. Now add the chicken and risotto you cooked earlier and mix in well. The chorizo will add a gorgeous splash of colour to the risotto.

Chicken and chorizo have just been added.

Keep the risotto in the pan for another 5 minutes, or less if it is cooked through and the rice is soft enough for your taste. Feel free to add a little more stock if the risotto is too stiff. This is where you should taste to check for seasoning. The stock and chorizo are quite salty so it is important you don’t blindly add more until you have tasted it at the end.

When you are happy, portion up the risotto on to two dishes and lightly drizzle with the chorizo frying oil.